Product Description

In this abridged edition of John Campbell's two acclaimed volumes on Margaret Thatcher we trace the life of Britain's only female Prime Minister, from her upbringing in Grantham to her unexpected challenge to Edward Heath for leadership of the Conservative party and her eventual removal from power. This is an extraordinary account of an extraordinary woman; John Campbell portrays an ambitious and determined woman who may have begun her career in office almost timidly but who became increasingly remote and arrogant after the Falklands, eventually losing the trust of her colleagues.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7956 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-07
• Format: Abridged
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 576 pages

Review
'The best post-power biography is John Campbell's intensely detailed Margaret Thatcher.'
--Guardian

Review
"thorough biography... Campbell is a leading political biographer... Campbell's vivid account is easy to read"

From the Back Cover
In this abridged edition of John Campbell's two acclaimed volumes on Margaret Thatcher we trace the life of Britain's only female Prime Minister, from her upbringing in Grantham to her unexpected challenge to Edward Heath for leadership of the Conservative party and her eventual removal from power. This is an extraordinary account of an extraordinary woman; John Campbell portrays an ambitious and determined woman who may have begun her career in office almost timidly but who became increasingly remote and arrogant after the Falklands, eventually losing the trust of her colleagues.

With a revised conclusion by the author

Customer Reviews

A superb biography of 'the Iron Lady'
Though nearly two decades have passed since she left office, Margaret Thatcher continues to dominate British politics. Winning three straight general elections, her tenure as prime minister saw Britain reassert an aggressive role on the world stage and transformed the relationship of the state to the people. Demonized by her opponents and idolized by her supporters, she was a Rorschach test for the changing nation that she symbolized. Even today, both the Conservative and Labour parties continue to grapple with the legacy of 'Thatcherism', a label that reflects her success in redefining the political discourse of the nation.

One of the keys to understanding how these changes took place is to learn about the woman herself. In this, there are few better guides than John Campbell. An accomplished political biographer, his two-volume biography of Thatcher is the most comprehensive, detailed, and perceptive guide into her life and the influences that shaped it. This book is an updated and condensed version of Campbell's larger work. Expertly edited by David Freeman, it retains all of the essential insights of Campbell's earlier study, expressed in clear and accessible prose. For anyone seeking to understand "the Iron Lady" and how she changed Great Britain, this is the book to read.

Brilliantly informative
The culmination of something like nine years of research, this book is tremendously informative. This book is excellent for those of us who weren't around to witness most of this crucial stage in British history; it gives detailed accounts of all the major triumphs and failings of Thatcher and her government and indeed a thirst to find out more. A brilliantly well-balanced book, this book is a good place to start learning about politics in the 1970s, '80s and '90s, and what is behind the Thatcherite policies still implemented today.